Fill in the Blanks Europe was ravaged in the f__u__t__e__th century by the B_l_a_c_k D_e_a_t_h, a great s_i_c_k_n_e_ss that killed nearly half of the people on the *c__n__i__e__t. The plague was transported by d__r__y, rat infested s that traveled between C__n__r__l Asia and I__a__y. The plague first appeared in Europe in 13, but spread as far as E__g__a__d and R_u_s_s_ia by 1351.
The sickness was called the B_u_b_o_n_i_c Plague because it infected glands called l__m__h n__d__s. Bubos is a Greek work that refers to s__o__l__n glands. Within three or four days of *i__f__c__i__n, a victim’s lymph nodes would s__e__l and b__r__t. Plague victims often suffered a quick but agonizing death.
The Great Plague persisted because of the poor s__n__t__ry conditions in European cities. People often ate s__a__e or d__s__a__ed meat and personal h__g__e__e was a priority for most people. A group of religious people called f__a__e__l__n__s believed the p__a__ue was a sign from God and tried to atone for the sins of the world by inflicting p__n__s__m__n__s on t__e__s__l__es and others.
The Great Plague still e__i__ts and is common among r__d__n__s, but we now have a c and the s__c__n__ss exists only in i__o__a__ed places.